The U.S. military has retreated from a base in the remote Korengal Valley, Afghanistan, after spending over four years trying to hold the ground. The U.S. forces even negotiated the terms of their defeat, paying the resistance fighters and leaving them the base fully intact with buildings, fuel, generators and military equipment, in order to be allowed a peaceful retreat out of the valley.

Webmaster's Commentary:

This is no "shift in strategy"; it is a bloody military catastrophe for the US, which never learned the lessons of the old Soviet Union, when they had to pull their soldiers out of Afghanistan.

There were two outcomes intended from the invasion and occupation of Afghanistan. One has happened to amazing effect, and that is the control over the illegal drug business, from which so many profit so handsomely.

The other was to "pacify" the Afghan people to the point where the pipelines with which to control Eurasian oil could be installed. Almost 9 years on, this outcome is not closer to fruition than at the point when this insane and illegal war began.

If the US and NATO had any shred of rationality, they would declare victory, leave, and negotiate with whatever government was left standing about the pipelines.